Understanding that Goes Beneath the Smile
by Kay-Rann
Summary: Asami Mika is witty, kind, and bright; a girl Kaoru can't help but like. But, behind that smile, what's she really going through? KaoruxOC Please Read/Review. Rating may change.
1. That Messyhaired Girl

Gaaahhh,** second release!** I'm still incredibly nervous. Dx So, this time, I've decided to devote my developing fanfiction skills to Ouran High School Host Club. :3 Just as a heads up, I'm planning for this to be KaoruxOC, since I don't think Kaoru gets enough attention~ C: Tell you the truth, I haven't watched Ouran in a while (I still lovelovelove it though), so I might be a little shaky with small details here and there. D: Forgive me. I'm sorry this chapter is so incredibly short...think of it as an introduction! :D (I felt bad for not posting anything for 3 days...yes three days...so I kinda randomly dished this one out. But no worries, future chapters shall be longer!)

I've always liked Kaoru, because he's smart and cool and understands feelings. o3o So, basically, this story is the result of my fangirl dreams. Heh Heh 8D The romance-y stuff may feel like it comes really slowly, but please, give this story a chance~ Read 2 or 3 chapters, see what you think. I really want this story to have a solid plot besides the KaoruxOC relationship.

**Please Read/Review** and definitely enjoy! x3

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><p>Mika wandered through countless halls, fumbling with the small slip of paper in her hand.<em> Third Music Room…Third Music Room…<em>The teacher had handed her a piece of paper telling her to go to the Third Music Room...but where exactly was it? Looking around, Mika noted that, as she walked along, countless pairs of eyes scrutinized her, often followed by whispering and giggles. Mika sighed, _It must be my appearance…_ She walked by a window and stared at her reflection; disheveled bed hair, baggy gray sweater, and a pair of athletic shorts, topped off with spots of dirt and dust. It wasn't _her_ fault she fell asleep with wet hair last night…then overslept and forgot to change out of her comfy sleeping clothes…then tripped while walking through the school garden…right? Then again, she didn't really care, now did she? Shrugging off any awkward looks and ignoring the incessant giggles, Mika continued her search for the Third Music Room.

This was starting to get awfully irritating. Mika felt like she'd trekked the whole school looking for this Third Music Room. _Hah, I've toured the whole school in search of the music room where my tour guide's supposed be. Stupid irony._ She tried to recall the directions the teacher had given her, something about a left turn then two rights? Deep in thought, Mika turned the corner and continued walking around. _Or was it a right turn and two lef—_

"Owwww," two voices exclaimed as they collided, landing on the floor by a puddle of shattered porcelain teapots and cups.

"Haruhi!" yelled a frivolous yet worried tone, "Kaoru, Hikaru, I told you that was too much for her to carry! Haruhiiiiiiii, are you okay? Papa's coming!" A slim figure with blonde hair began giddily prancing towards the skinny brown-haired person on the floor; arms wide open in a rather disturbing fashion.

Haruhi, still wincing in pain, looked up to see whom she had bumped, or rather crashed, into. "Ah, sorry, are you okay?" she asked caringly.

"Haha, yeah, I'm all right," laughed Mika, with one eye open in a wink and a large smile plastered across her face.

It was at this time that the host club had all come running over to aid Haruhi. Tamaki hugged Haruhi tightly, rubbing his cheek against hers as if she were a precious teddy bear.

"Ta-ma-ki-sen-pai…" spoke Haruhi, in a highly annoyed voice as she tried to push off her "father."

After getting up off the floor (and freeing herself from Tamaki), Haruhi extended her hand to help lift the girl on the floor up, flashing a smile at the same time. Mika happily obliged and was pulled up off the floor. She grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. Haruhi, being observant as she was, noticed that Mika's elbow had been cut by a shard of porcelain.

"Your elbow's hurt and bleeding!"

"Eh, really?" Mika replied innocently as she inspected her elbow, "Ah, no kidding," she noticed calmly.

The host club couldn't help but sweat drop at this oddly composed reaction. Mika just continued naively looking at the cut on her arm. Haruhi grabbed the injured girl's arm and pulled her forward,

"Anyway, let's go get that wound treated."

"Ah, 'kay~" Mika chimed.


	2. Expensive Teacups

Yay~~! **Chapter 2 is up.** Alas, I actually finished writing this one up like 6 hours earlier, but I spent a long time fretting over Mika's appearance...Even now I'm not quite sure she's looks the way I want her to. Opinions please! So, this chapter gives a super tiny taste of KaoruxOC. (Haha, saying "taste" sounds funny owo) Unfortunately, I was only able to squeeze in one line for Mori-senpai ;-;

When writing this, I realized how tiring 1,500 words can be (give or take). I read fanfictions so quickly...yet writing them is a long process that has made me sleepy much. My admiration for all the writers out there has once again leveled up. ;w; ILY guys~!

As promised, this chapter is about twice as long as the first, so please enjoy! :D

**Please Read/Review as well!**

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><p>"There!" exclaimed Haruhi as she stuck a band-aid on Mika's now treated elbow.<p>

Mika smiled brightly and thanked Haruhi, "Haha, thanks for helping me out. Sorry about that accident back there, I was completely out of it, I didn't even know I was still walking!"

Laughing, the brown-haired girl replied, "No, it's okay, I was at fault to," she returned the grin, "I couldn't see where I was going."

As the two girls started happily chatting, (Of course Haruhi is in her "boy disguise," but I still address her as, well, her.) a group of blue-suited males were huddled together, quietly observing the two giggling girls.

"Milord, who's that girl next to Haruhi?" asked a pair of twins. The Hitachiin brothers pointed to the messily dressed girl sitting across from Haruhi.

Mika had a rather slim figure and was of medium stature. Shiny black hair framed her healthily colored face and was swept to the side in a loosely tied ponytail resting on her shoulder. All around her head, little tufts of hair stuck out in random places—the consequences of falling asleep with wet hair, of course. On her nose rested a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, hiding her cheery lilac eyes.

"Why is she dressed so sloppily?" Hikaru bluntly stated, referring to her over-sized sweater and plain shorts—he wasn't impressed with this girl's fashion sense.

"Now, now Hikaru, " Tamaki countered, "she must be a commoner like Haruhi, she simply doesn't have the money to buy a uniform!" The King began "preaching" dramatically," Yes, yes, that's what it is. You mustn't look down upon the commoner population, it's not her fault she's not as beautiful as me, "Tamaki swung his head back, bringing his hand to his forehead in a swooning action.

Somehow, the King began changing topics, and was soon blabbering away about his beauty, and God's gift, and perfection—a rather familiar and common sight. The rest of the host club had no interest whatsoever in Tamaki's little "show," so they proceeded to go greet the purple-eyed girl.

"Haruhiii," said two mischievous voices, "introduce us." Kaoru and Hikaru had to admit they were rather curious about this disheveled girl.

"Ah, this is Asami Mika-san."

Mika waved her hand, greeting the group of boys, "You guys are the Host Club, right? Haruhi-san told me about your club…it's, a, pretty interesting, "she grinned.

Suddenly, Tamaki swept over out of nowhere, and delicately leaned in near Mika. Speaking in his soft, "attractive" host club voice, he whispered in her ear, "Mika-chan, right? I apologize for that incident back there with the teacups; it was horrible of me to let you fall on the ground, princess, forgive me. " Tamaki gently lifted up Mika's chin, their faces inches apart as roses bloomed around them.

Mika, unmoved by this action, pointed a finger at her "seducer" turned around to face Haruhi, and stated frankly, "Haruhi-san, this one's Tamaki-senpai, right, the perverted blonde guy you mentioned?"

Shocked, Tamaki sunk into depression, huddling gloomily in a corner mumbling and crying, "p-p-perverted blonde guy…" while twiddling his thumbs.

Hikaru and Kaoru broke out laughing; Mika was the only girl to have so bluntly rejected the King, save Haruhi of course. Kaoru, gasping for air between laughs, exclaimed, "Haha, you...you're really something."

The cause of the laughter, Mika, just smirked, slightly embarrassed, when a sudden memory hit her.

"AH!"

The twins stopped laughing and everyone looked towards the purple-eyed girl. "What is it?" inquired Haruhi.

"Do you know where the Third Music Room is?" Mika asked, "I'm new here and the teacher told me to go there to meet my assigned tour guide…but I have no clue where it is!"

Kyoya broke in, "Oh, so you're the new transfer student…_Asami_ Mika…interesting," he said rather darkly as he scribbled something mysterious down on a clipboard.

"You're already in the Third Music Room, Mika-chan~~" the short and sweet Honey-senpai chimed in, Usa-chan in hand.

"So then…you guys are supposed to show me around?" Mika assumed.

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged glances, shrugged, and said simultaneously, "I guess so."

Mika stared blankly at the six guys in front of her (Tamaki-senpai had recovered.) and then at Haruhi sitting on a chair. Apparently she had found the Third Music Room and her tour guides. She blinked twice, tilted her head, and, quite randomly, said, "Sounds fun~!"

Just then, the clock tower rang—class time. As Mika started for the door, Haruhi yelled out to her, "Come back here tomorrow, kay? After all, we are your tour guides."

Mika turned back and waved," Of course!" she smiled.

—Next Day—

"Where's Mika-chan?" pouted Honey-senpai as he ate a forkful of cake. "She is coming, right?

"Ah," Mori-senpai replied in a low voice.

Currently, the Host Club had no customers to tend to, so they went about doing whatever they wished. Haruhi sat studying, the King and his two assistants behind her, deviously planning another attempt to dress her up as a girly girl. Kyoya was clacking away on his keyboard doing sneaky, barely legal acts. Just then, a door was pushed open, and two pale purple eyes peeked in before entering the room. The Host Club, knowing that there were no customers coming in, curiously looked up to see who had entered. Before them stood a slim girl wearing the academy's uniform—or rather, a _version_ of the uniform. The purple-eyed beauty's yellow dress flowed gently down to her knees, black leggings covering her exposed legs. Silky black hair cascaded down brushing her uncovered shoulders, as the puff sleeves of the original Ouran uniform had been tailored off. The owner of this curious dress, who was currently holding a small cardboard box, waved a free hand and exclaimed,

"Hi, I'm back~"

The club members were silent. _I'm back? _they thought. _Back from where? She's never been here before…right?_ They were all so very confused, except for, of course, Kyoya. Pushing his glasses up with the end of his pencil, he called out to the girl,

"Asami-san, nice to see you again."

"It's good to be back!"

"AHHH!" yelled Kaoru and Hikaru as they pointed their fingers at the black-haired, lilac-eyed lady. "You're Mika?"

"The one and only," Mika beamed.

Surprised and confused at this sudden appearance change from sloppy to primp and pampered, the twins questioned, "What happened?"

"What do you mean 'what happened?'"

"You're appearance!"

"Ohhh,_ that…_" a sheepish look covered Mika's face as she explained the wet hair, oversleeping, and tripping to them. As all three broke out into a laughing fit at Mika's clumsy story, one certain Hitachiin brother couldn't help but notice how pretty and mesmerizing Mika's light purple eyes were when they weren't hidden by thick glasses. (She's wearing contacts.) Trying not to stare, Kaoru asked Mika about her modified uniform.

"Is it weird? I really can't stand those long, puffy dresses, so I had it trimmed and altered to fit my style more," she answered, winking.

"I guess she wasn't a commoner after all," Hikaru whispered to Tamaki in a disappointed tone. He thought it would've been kind of fun to have another commoner around.

Still holding the cardboard box in hand, Mika remembered," Oh yeah, I almost forgot, here!" She handed the box to Haruhi, "It's to replace the tea sets that broke yesterday. Sorry they're not the same kind, these were all I had."

Taking the container from Mika, Haruhi replied, "Asami-san, you didn't have to replace them. It wasn't your fault they broke. You should take them ba-"

"We'll gladly accept these," smiled Kyoya, hiding his clever, greedy disposition as he took the box from the brown-haired host.

"Kyoya-senpai…" Haruhi sighed.

As the Shadow King opened the box to inspect the newly received tea set, Tamaki-senpai's eyes lit up as he commented in a clearly impressed voice, "Oohh, these are high quality tea cups!"

Lifting a cup up in his hands, Hikaru added, "Aren't these made exclusively by Asamiko Group? I heard they're really hard to get your hands on."

"The Asamiko Group is incredibly rich after all; everything they make is considered a luxury, even amongst the high-class," Kaoru included.

"Wahh! Mika-chan's amazing! How'd you get these cups? ~" Honey-senpai said, a look of astonishment sparkling in his eyes.

Kyoya crossed his arms in front of his chest and smirked, "Getting these cups shouldn't have been too hard for Asami-san…or should I say, _Asamiko_-san?"

"…?"

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><p>xD Lookie Lookie~! My cheesy attempt at cliffhangers. }:D Um...I realize alot of this resembles the what happened to Haruhi in the beginning of the story...sorry. It kind of just ended up this way. D: Mika and Haruhi are definitely two different, defined characters though! (I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, I wish I did though. o3o) Anywho, I'd appreciate many reviews...it feeds my fanfiction writer pride. Plus I need motivation. =w=<p> 


	3. Asami is Asamiko?

:D **CHAPTER 3!** This chapter gives you a bit more Kaoru-Mika action :3 (I'm not gonna say KaoruxOC...cos, it's kinda obvious e_e) Alas, I kind of get the feeling I put too much dialogue into my writing, so tell me if you guys ever get annoyed with constant talking and blabbering, kay? C; Since today's the last day of spring break for me...updates may take 2-3 days from here on out. ;-; I'm sorry. I'd like to spend all my time consumed in this wonderful world of online fiction, but the real world calls! Dx I'm not sure why, but I feel pretty giddy right now. Maybe it's because I'm excited about the future chapter~! Things should be getting a lot more interesting. }:3

**Please Read/Review/Enjoy my story in all its wonderful "i-wish-this-was-my-real-life-D:" glory~!**

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><p>"A-sa-mi…"<p>

"A-sa-mi…_ko_?"

The heads of the host club tilted sideways as their brows furrowed. Eyes narrowed as they looked to see if they had perhaps missed something important. Suddenly, six minds clicked as a curious idea registered into their minds.

"ASAMI'S AN ASAMIKO?" they shouted at the same time, using the same bewildered tone, wearing the same befuddled face. (Except for Mori-senpai, who simply murmured an "Ah," whilst sporting some sort of stoic-but-surprised face.)

Asami, or rather, Asamiko Mika bit her bottom lip in embarrassment as she twirled a strand of hair with her finger. She gave a rather silly smile and weakly laughed, "Ahh…look's like…I've been found out, huh?"

Honey-senpai and Haruhi were the first to recover, perhaps because they didn't quite understand the full weight of the Asamiko name.

"Mika-chan really is amazingggg!" Honey-senpai gleefully admired, "Usa-chan and I are still suuuuper shocked! ~ " The adorable senior hugged his favorite bunny plush toy as he gave a big grin to the Asamiko.

"Oh, but, Mika-san, how come you chose to use a different surname?" Haruhi questioned curiously.

"Yeah, wouldn't you want to flaunt the Asamiko name?" Hikaru, who, along with others, had finally let the information sink in, added "after all, their business is huge and they're really popular.

Kaoru could've sworn he saw a look of pain and sadness flash across Mika's face. But whatever it was, she held it back, and answered cheerfully, "Well...Asami Mika sounds better than Asamiko Mika, don't you think?"

"So…you use Asami because it sounds better…?" Haruhi confirmed, a little surprised at this fairly air-headed reason.

Mika gave her usual wide grin, but Kaoru could tell something wasn't right. Her lilac eyes were dull and gloomy—why? The others, not noticing this, simply sighed in an "oh-dear-me" sort of tone and chuckled.

It was at this time that the Host Club was to open, and squealing customers began flooding in, eager to be greeted by the handsome hosts. As each boy began tending to his (or her…_Haruhi_) respective customers, Kaoru stayed behind, wanting to ask Mika if something was wrong. Mika, on the other hand, thinking that all the hosts had left, let her happy façade fall in a heavy sigh. _Why did they have to ask that…Of all things…_Closing her eyes, she stood idly still for a moment, as if her mind were somewhere else, trying hard to recall some bittersweet memory from the faded past. When that moment had come and gone, Mika opened her eyes, smiled reassuringly to herself, and turned around to join the chattering groups of girsl and hosts. Kaoru, who had gone unnoticed by Mika, thought, despite his worries, it would be best not to ask her about what had just happened—it just didn't seem like something he should intrude in. He too headed towards the busy scene of love-stuck girls, and was met by Haruhi, Hikaru, and pale lavender eyes.

"Ah, Kaoru-kun, Hi ~~" Mika waved.

"Kaoru-kun, you know each other?" asked a light-browned haired customer.

Mika introduced herself, "I'm Asami Mika, transfer student!"

"Oi, Mika, isn't it Asamik-"

Kaoru quickly covered Hikaru's mouth, saying, "Hikaru, let's go entertain our customers, kay?" as he dragged him away.

Breaking free from his brother's grasp, Hikaru, who was rather annoyed, asked, "Oi, Kaoru, what was that about?" Hearing no reply and feeling ignored, Hikaru was about to demand an answer when he caught sight of his brother's eyes. They were filled worry and confusion…and directed right at a certain black-haired beauty. Hikaru was a bit taken back at the sight of his brother's deep concern, though he hadn't the slightest clue as to why he was so worried. Kaoru, on the other hand, was oblivious to his twin's staring eyes—he was far too preoccupied thinking about what could have been the cause of Mika's sadness. Somehow, Kaoru got the feeling there was more to Mika's name switch than simply sounding prettier…

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><p>The Host Club had closed for the day, and all the members, plus Mika of course, were seated on chairs drinking tea and eating cake. As Mika took a sip of delightful earl grey bitterness, she couldn't help but be bothered by one thing—<p>

"Ne, Haruhi-san?"

"Yeah?" The host's large brown orbs blinked curiously.

"How come you're a host?"

"What do you mean?"

Purple-eyes filled with a thoughtful look as Mika furrowed her brow and said, "Well…" She was a little reluctant at first, her eyes looking down in uncertainty, "Y'know…cause…"

Mika looked up.

"You're a girl, aren't you?"

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><p>Whoa whoa! Did I just end with another cliffhanger? o3o He he, I just gotta keep throwing surprises at cha, huh? Like I said in the last chapter, Reviews=Motivation=Happy Me=More Chapters. :3 Thank you guys for holding out and reading up to the third chapter x] ILY.<p>

I Like Unicorns. Just throw that out there.

Wait for the next chapter! :O


	4. Haruhi's a Girl, of Course

Wow. I feel like it's been forever since I posted a chapter. o_o (Like three days...but. yeah :3) Umm...not much happens in this chapter, it's more a filler kinda thing. But it's mainly here to show Mika and the club's growing relationship~! :D That way the later chapters won't feel awkwardly rushed and stuff, if you get what I mean. Alas, the next chapter or two may take awhile. I have family visiting from China, so i'll probably be fairly busy with a bunch of fun-family-bonding and whatnot... owo Oh, but, come the weekend, I should be able to get another chapter or two up! :D Gaaah, I'm trying super hard not to rush the story, but I just wanna hurry and get to the lovey-dovey super awesome parts x3

Please Read/Review/Enjoy

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><p>The eyes of two twins widened as they choked on their tea.<p>

A teacup fell from the hand of a blonde-haired King in a noisy clatter against a polished tabletop.

The mouth of a sweet-toothed senior stopped it's never-ending chewing, his fork frozen in place, leaving a collection of cakes untouched.

A usually unemotional face released a hint of sudden surprise followed by low and short "Ah."

The constant clacking of a keyboard stopped; a pair of glasses glinted in the light as a smirk ran across a devious face.

A pair of shining brown orbs blinked in momentary astonishment, but showed no panic.

"Haruh-sa-"

Hikaru and Kaoru shot up from their seats as each grabbed one of Mika's slender arms and dashed speedily to the opposite side of the room, a frantic Tamaki following.

"Hey! What are you two doing?" Mika asked, clearly annoyed and confused as the two twins loosened their grips of her.

"Ah, well, um…" Hikaru stuttered, "We just thought that…we…um…"

"We just thought we ought to get to know you better…is all…" Kaoru finished nervously.

Mika furrowed her brow, unimpressed by this obviously fake explanation, "So Haruhi is a girl, huh?" she confirmed confidently, "Thought so."

The Hitachiin brothers sighed in defeat—they had both known such a cheesy excuse wouldn't have worked. Just then, Tamaki cleared his throat as he futilely attempted to hide his fidgeting under a cool and calm composure. He flipped his bangs back with his hand and gulped.

"M-Mika-san," he laughed awkwardly, "j-just why in the world would you think Haruhi to be a girl?

Her hands crossed in front of her chest, all Mika did was raise an eyebrow. Tamaki, seeing this, knew that he'd have to come clean about Haruhi's true identity. He and the twins stared submissively at Mika, telling her that she was indeed correct. Mika sighed and rested her arms on her hips.

"Ahh. Surprise, surprise," she pouted stubbornly, "I knew it." She let her arms fall and shifted her body back towards the tea table. "Well then, since that's all cleared up, I'm gonna go back and talk to Haruhi-chan ~ "Just as she was about to take a step forwards, two hands yanked her back.

"M-Mika-san, you mustn't bring this topic up to Haruhi!" the King said anxiously.

"Hm? Why not?" Mika questioned skeptically.

Tamaki paused for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"Why…you ask? Why…? Because it would break her heart! Yes! Haruhi's beautiful heart!" Tamaki declared dramatically, embracing himself with a pity-filled, exaggerated sigh. "You see, Haruhi threw away her very being, her very soul as girl to forget her past! Yes, yes, the female Haruhi was longhaired and irresistibly adorable! All the girls were jealous of her, veeerrry jealous. They tormented and taunted her out of their foolish envy. Ah, my poor Haruhi!" the King grasped his heart and looked towards the sky in theatrical agony and compassion. "My delicate Haruhi couldn't take it any longer, so she turned to us, the Host Club!

Kaoru and Hikaru nodded solemnly and sarcastically at the King's over-the-top act. Mika's eyes squinted in cynical fashion as she guffawed a loud, "Hah?"

"Ahh! Her glistening eyes as she told me, 'Please, Tamaki-senpai, King, please, let me join you as a host, so that I may escape this endless torment and be with you!'" he said, trying horribly to imitate Haruhi's voice. "My dear Haruhi cut her hair and took up the disguise of a boy, throwing away her horrible past!" Tamaki wiped a "beautiful" tear from his eyes. "Ahhhh, Haruhi, Papa is here for you now! ~~~~~ My beloved Haruh—"

"Ta-ma-ki-sen-pai." A cold voice sent tense chills up the melodramatic senpai's back as he held his tongue.

Tamaki rigidly turned around and felt the chills worsen as he saw a highly irritated girl shooting him an "I-am-not-amused" death-glare,"Ha-Ha-Haruhi…w-what are you doing here?

Ahahaha…ha…ha…ha…"

"Really, Tamaki-senpai, please don't go around spreading false stories," Haruhi said in a…_less_ then friendly tone, so to speak, "Seriously…" Haruhi walked over to Mika, leaving Tamaki-senpai alone and depressed from Haruhi's cold treatment.

"Sorry about that, Mika-san. Those three…especially that one, "she motioned towards the grey and lifeless figure huddled in a nearby corner," tend to go a _little_ overboard…"

"Haha," Mika giggled," Nah, it's fine. I actually quite enjoyed that little, uh, show," she smirked. "So, now that that's cleared up, why exactly did you become a host, Haruhi-chan?"

Haruhi explained her first days of school—her first encounter with the host club, the broken vase and huge debt being mistaken as a boy; all of it. Mika couldn't help but laugh at the hilarious tale.

Holding back her giggles, Mika said, "That's really quite the story! I'm guessing you'd rather I keep your true gender a secret then, right? Y'know, considering you have to stay with the Host Club and all."

Tamaki magically appeared in front of Mika and, holding her hands in his, nodded happily, "Yes! Yes! I'm so glad you understand just how important it is for Haruhi to stay here with her Papa!"

The rest of the Host Club sighed at Tamaki's odd antics. They were all glad that Mika understood Haruhi's situation so well, and smiled cheerfully to themselves as they continued their teatime. It was nice having another girl around…

-The Next Day-

"It's time to play—"

"The 'Guess Which One's Hikaru' game!" one of the twins said, finishing the other's sentence.

The two boys wrapped an arm around the other's shoulder, their free hand on their hip. One crossed his right leg in, the other, his left. The same large grin graced each of their faces, complimenting their sly, mischievous eyes. A group of girls squealed giddily—they absolutely loved this game; they absolutely loved the twins! Though the game was a common occurrence at the Host Club, it caught the sight of two lilac eyes. Mika, who had just entered the Music Room a second ago, paused for a second, watching the Hitachiin brothers and their customers. She hadn't seen this before.

"Umm…the one on the left is Hikaru?" A brunette girl with long French braids randomly guessed, pointing to the boy on the left.

"Bzzt!" Hikaru and Kaoru said at the same time, "the one of the left is Kaoru!"

"Ehh? ~~~~" The crowd of fan girlish customers whined laughingly.

"Hn. It's way too hard to tell us two apart!" The pair laughed triumphantly.

Mika's head tilted at this curious sight._ Why'd they lie?_ She wondered. _The one on the left is obviously Hikaru…_

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><p>:3 Yeaaahh, i realize i just keep on throwing surprise after surprise at you... (I think i said that in the last chapter too) o3o but y'know, it's fun for me. Hehe. Thanks for reading, ILY you guys :'D<p>

MikaxKaoru~ awww yeaaah. I feel happy right now too. Probably because I've completely and utterly ignored my math homework to write this. o_e


	5. The Same Wavelength

**Chapter 5 is up!** Writing this chapter took up a whole lot of brain juice... :T I had an incredibly horrible case of writer's block, I thought I was going to die. D: This chapter has a much more serious tone than the others, but it's not angsty or something. ;p I think. Ummm...this _kind of_ counts as fluff? I have no clue 3: I didn't want to make the transition from chapter 4 to chapter 5 too fast (like, character relationship wise. I didn't want to rush things...) but I have this gut feeling that I might've sped it up a bit too much. :| Tell me if my gut it telling the truth or not please! :0

Just to make sure you guys know, this chapter takes place like a couple weeks after chapter 4. Hence Mika and the Host club's relationship have gotten much closer and whatnot. Especially Kaoru and Mika... *hint* *hint* ;D Anywho, like I always say, **Please Read/Review/Enjoy!~~ :3**

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><p>Kaoru sat alone on a smooth, velvet-cushioned chair, sipping tea all by his lonesome self. Hikaru, his beloved brother, had gone out with Haruhi to go to a commoner's market to buy instant coffee. He himself would like to have gone, but he figured it was best to let them have some time alone together—for Hikaru's sake. But then, pouting, he remembered that the King had immediately followed the two…worried about his "daughter's safety," or something like that. Tamaki was obviously jealous of the two, but the dense king and his fatherly façade didn't notice. Kaoru sighed, thinking that, in the fun, novel presence of a commoner's environment—combined with Hikaru and the King's endless curiosity—it'd probably be quite a while before Haruhi would be able to lug the two back. The lonely twin took another sip of tea and stared dazedly out the window. Honey-senpai had gone with Mori-senpai to kendo practice, and Kyoya-senpai…Kaoru sweat-dropped…Kyoya-senpai had just grinned evilly and left. Kaoru leaned his head back on the chair and exhaled loudly. In his boredom, his thoughts wandered off to silky black hair and light violet eyes; a tranquil smile spread across his face.<p>

Mika walked through the hallways, keeping a constant pace as her steps echoed against the pink, ornate walls of the academy. She was happily making her way to the Third Music Room, where the host club always met around this time of day. It'd almost been an entire month since she'd met the host club. She grinned gleefully; being with them was such a fun, exciting thing—no doubt the favorite part of her day. She'd never been with people that were even minutely as funny, cheery, accepting, and just down right wonderful as they were. _I'm so glad I met them!_ She thought, her heart fluttering gaily,_ especially Kaoru_…her mind added unconsciously. Mika blinked and broke the beat of her steps in a nervous fumble. _Kaoru…?_ She wondered. It was then that she realized…she had always felt that Kaoru was different compared to the other hosts, especially his brother. Mika wondered curiously as to what made him feel so special; was it because he was more mature? More observant? More understanding? She touched upon the idea that maybe it was _she_ who thought differently of him, but a hot feeling rising up in her cheeks speedily dismissed the idea. Mika shook her head, pushing the questions about Kaoru to the back of her mind as she continued walking. Turning a corner, she saw the music room's door come into sight. The lilac-eyed beauty reached out a hand to turn the door's elegantly carved, gold-lacquered handle.

The door to the Third Music Room was pushed open by two lightly tanned hands. Kaoru broke out of his daze and turned to see who had entered.

"Hi ~~," Mika said, her head peeking out from behind the door.

"Mika!" Kaoru responded, slightly surprised but definitely pleased.

Purple orbs scanned the room, and, noticing it to be peculiarly empty, questioned, "Where's everyone else?"

Kaoru voiced his thoughts from before to her, offering a shortened explanation for the lack of people. Her question answered, Mika walked over to the table Kaoru was sitting at, her fingers grasping the wooden frame of a chair.

"Mind if I join?"

"Nope, go ahead."

Mika, who had poured herself some tea, held a saucer and cup in her hand as she remarked, "Hey, hey, Kaoru?"

The Hitachiin looked up expectantly, "Yeah?"

"You said that Tamaki-senpai followed after Haruhi-chan and your brother, right?" without letting Kaoru answer, she continued, "Tamaki-senpai was jealous when he thought about Hikaru and Haruhi going shopping together, huh? Ah, but Tamaki-senpai's too dense to realize his feelings completely; he probably just thinks of it as his 'fatherly duty' or something…" she laughed.

It randomly occurred to him that he and Mika ran on a similar wavelength. "That's exactly what I thought," he exclaimed.

"Haha, really? We must run on a similar wavelength then!" Her lilac eyes smiled.

_Scratch that,_ Kaoru thought, _we must run on the __**exact same**__ wavelength._

Though their chat had ended and their mouths were silent, the atmosphere was neither tense nor awkward—it was peaceful and enjoyable. Both knew this through a sort of mutual understanding, so neither felt the need to hurriedly start up conversation. As teatime continued, Kaoru noticed that the teacups they were using were from the set that Mika had given the club when they first met. His old curiosity was sparked as he remembered what his intuition had told him about Mika's "Asami-Asamiko" name switch.

"Ne, Mika?"

"What is it?"

The Hitachiin, slightly reluctant, mustered up his courage, "Asami. Asamiko…"

The Asamiko, taken aback, regained her composure, "W-what do you mean?"

"Why?" he said, too scared to ask the entire question.

"Why what?" she said, too scared to answer the incomplete question.

"What's…what's the _real_ reason why you changed your name?" Kaoru whispered quietly in fear, fear that he might once again see her pained face and dull eyes.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about…" Mika murmured uneasily in fear, fear that she might have to once again recall the cause of her pain and suffering.

The one with golden orbs opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. He simply looked up at her with concerned eyes.

The one with lilac orbs bit her lip and swallowed hard, but the lump her throat did not disappear. She just averted his gaze with downcast eyes.

The auburn-haired boy sighed heavily, finally understanding his efforts to be futile.

The ebony-haired girl inhaled deeply, suddenly realizing her evading to be unnecessary.

Mika bit her lip and braced herself; it was most definitely a topic she'd rather not talk about. She was still rather shocked that Kaoru had even known about her ulterior motive in the first place. She was shocked…she thought, but not scared…

"Kaoru?"

Kaoru's eyes lit up. Mika gave a gentle, bittersweet smile.

"I'll tell you why..."

…_because you asked…I'll tell you._

_Because __**you**__ asked._

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><p>Mehh, writing this made me feel gushy~ :3 Hehe, I dunno... I tried to be all "deep" and whatnot when writing this. Emphasize on TRIED. Dx Please tell me whether or not the whole "Kaoru-Mika-dialogue-imitation" thing was good or not. I personally kind of like that idea, but I'm not sure if my use of it came out well or not. Don't be afraid to say it's repetitive and sucky, just do it in a nice way to make me feel better. c: (I basically just mean constructive criticism.)<p>

Hope you're looking forward to Chapter 6~~~ ^-^


	6. Her Story Still Untold

**OHMYFUDGECAKES.** I'm sorry readers. D: I haven't updated ANYTHING for some 4 entire months! I am ashamed! I truly am sorry. In fact, I haven't really even been on for these past months. I seem to have caught an odd live action drama fever, and strayed away from this anime-inspired fanfic. I've also focused on fictionpress, and have been writing some original fiction stories. Once again, I apologize for foolishly neglecting my fanfic. :C

But, no worries, I'm back~ I'll have at least two more chapters posted by the end of this week. (Is what I promised myself, at least. I'm sorry, but I must warn you about my unreliability and procrastination skills...)

Once again, I'm terribly sorry for not updating, please don't be angry. o3o

I know this chapter is a tad short, but I couldn't really end it later because then it'd stop at some super awkward place...er something. Yeah.

**Please R/R and Enjoy~!**

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><p>Silence filled the air. In the sky, a dark, ghostly cloud brushed past the sun, dimming the room for but one eerie moment. Kaoru leaned forward on his chair, anticipation and thoughtful curiosity bursting through his veins. Mika shrunk a little, tensing up and shifting nervously as she braced herself to recall the memories better off forgotten. Seeing her anxiety, Kaoru instinctively reached out a hand, gingerly lacing their fingers together on the red mahogany tea table. Despite the tense situation, both sides couldn't help but marvel at the comfort and perfection of their entwined hands. A blush covered Mika's face and her heart skipped a beat as she readied her voice.<p>

"Kaoru-kun…" she whispered shakily, "Well, you see…"

Kaoru listened eagerly, wanting so very much to know the roots of this wonderful girl's suffering. He gently squeezed Mika's hand—_I'm here for you_, he seemed to say. Mika held her eyes close for a couple silence, then straightened her back and stared deep into Kaoru's eyes.

"It's like this—"

"We're baaaackk! ~~~~~~" Tamaki yelled cheerfully as he swiftly swung the host club room's door open.

A black-haired beauty let out a sigh, thankful that she didn't have to relive the pain, yet oddly disappointed at the disturbance of her and Kaoru's alone time. A scowl crept across Kaoru's mouth; the King had ruined it!

Said King, oblivious and cheery, entered the room with the rest of the host club, whom for some reason had all arrived at the same time. An uncomfortable silence resonated through the now far-from-empty room; all eyes were on two interlaced hands. Honey-senpai's eyes widened and blinked curiously, his mouth forming an O-shape and making a quiet "Ahhhhh," sound. Kaoru and Mika crinkled their brows, utterly confused as to what was causing this odd occurrence. They exchanged befuddled glances—then their minds clicked as they realized the awkward situation they were currently centered in. The two speedily released hands as their embarrassment was betrayed on their faces; they rose suddenly from their chairs and mumbled something about having to go to the bathroom—all in perfect, undisturbed sync. After the pair had hurried out the door with deep red faces, the remaining few stood rather dumfounded at the interesting scene they had just witnessed.

-With Mika and Kaoru-

The two came to an abrupt stop. They had run away from the host club members, too surprised to face them. What a scene they had walked into! Mika, crouched over her hands on her knees, panted heavily from the long jog. Hikaru, being more athletic, was barely winded. They slowly turned their heads and gave each other an "I'm-not-too-sure-what-just-happened" look before breaking out in laughter.

"Let's go back," Kaoru said, still chuckling.

"Eh? But...what about…" A reluctant Mika wondered.

"It's fine, besides, either way we're gonna have to back eventually," he reassured.

Mika groaned playfully as they began heading back to the Third Music Room.

The Hitachiin and Asamiko hesitantly stepped into the room. Quietly, they tried to slip by to a table, and maybe, somehow…just pretend nothing happened?

"Mika-chan, Kao-chan, you're back!" Honey-senpai exclaimed, clearly announcing the two's arrival, much to their dismay.

The two winced at Honey's loudness, both heaving a heavy sigh. From the table where they were currently enjoying teatime, the host club's members curiously looked up.

"'Bout time you and Mika came back, Kaoru," Hikaru said, a hint of slyness in his voice," So, what exactly were you two doing before?" he smirked.

A bright blush ran across Kaoru and Mika's faces. Clearing his throat, Kaoru tried quickly to reply," We…we were…just, um…"

"Arm-wrestling!" Mika reasoned, "We were just arm-wrestling!"

"So that's what it was…" Kyoya said, unconvinced.

"Yeah, that," Kaoru speedily agreed.

"Well, never mind that," Haruhi said, deciding it better to just let the situation be, "why don't we clean up and get ready for the customers? It's almost time for the club to open."

The fellow club members exchanged curious glances, shrugged, and started going about their club business.

Meanwhile, with the Host Club out of the way, Kaoru turned his focus back to Mika.

"Mika, about what we were talking about before."

"Sorry, Kaoru-kun, maybe some other time…"

The auburn-haired boy frowned, disappointed to leave the issue unfinished, but empathetic enough to let it be…for now.

—During Host Club Hours—

"Ne, ne, Haruhi-kun, would you like to try some of these macadamia nut chocolates? My father got them straight from Hawaii," a cute, brown-haired customer happily exclaimed.

Taking a chocolate, Haruhi preceded to say," Hawaii, huh? I'd really like to go there, or at least to a beach."

"Haruhi-kun has never been to a beach?" Two regular customers replied. (A/N: Pretend the beach episode never happened/hasn't happened yet. It's a fanfic, so…yeah.)

"No, I've always been to busy with studying and supporting my father at home," the Fujioka explained, a little solemn.

"My, such a hard worker! ~" the female students sighed giddily, love struck with the host.

From across the room, a blonde-haired "Papa" came rushing to his beloved "daughter." "Haruhi, you never been to a beach?" he cried, astonished.

"Ah…no, I haven't."

The two Hitachiin twins slid over, nonchalantly claiming, "Well, I suppose commoners just can't travel that much," before receiving sharp glare from the only commoner present.

"You poor child! But don't be sad, Papa will take you anywhere you want to go!" told the King to a barely listening Haruhi.

Honey-senpai, bringing along with Takashi, whom had joined the ruckus, happily shouted, "Beach trip! Yay! ~"

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><p>Sooo, I'm not sure if my writing style changed halfway or not. You see, I wrote the first half of this like 4 months back, and I continued it today...therefore I'm pretty sure some style-changes were bound to happen. The writing I've been doing lately (not fanfics) has been done in a more detached, mysterious manner, as I've been writing supernatural mysteries, (~saligia YES, i'm doing self-advertisement...HAHA, deal with it :D) so I had to awkward transition to anime-ish fluffy writing. xD Anywho, as I mentioned before, just pretend that the beach episode never happened...and that Haruhi has never been to the beach, kay? :D The next chapter will kind of be like the beach episode, but with KaoruxMika incorporated instead.

Thanks for reading, and (hopefully) forgiving me for making my fanfic lonely.

ILY, readers.


	7. To the Beach!

Another update :D YAY. There was no need to wait 4 months for this one. (Hurhurhur...sorry about that o3o) Anyways, this chapter isn't too fluffly...BUT, I promise, the sweet, cheesy lover-love stuff will come-bear with me!

This chapter is based on the beach episode in the anime series, but obviously with a MikaxKaoru (mainly just Mika for now...) focus. I do NOT own Ouran Highschool Host Club...I wish I did, but alas, I don't. T^T

Anywho, I do hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm giddily excited about the next one...or at least the next few ones. I don't know, but I'm getting close to the good part. Kekekekekekekekeke~

**Enjoy~**

**Please R/R. I need writing incentives, I beg of you. x3**

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><p>"Wahhhhhhhhhhh! ~~~~~"<p>

A vast, clear blue sea gently rippled under a bright, shining sun hanging high in the cloudless sky. The Host Club, along with Mika and some regular customers, all dressed in beach wear, stared happily at the tropical sight before them. The group quickly scattered throughout the beach, frolicking with glee. Tamaki went off to accompany his many "princesses". Honey-senpai excitedly dragged Mori-senpai off to sea, floating around in his adorable bunny-patterned pink tube, two girls squealing about his cuteness. Hikaru and Kaoru paired off with some of their regular customers and started a volleyball game, being sure to incorporate some heart-pounding forbidden twin love. All the while, Kyoya sat at a beach table under a wide, umbrella shade; swiftly clacking away at his laptop—calculating the money gained from charging "Host Club Beach Trip" fares, no doubt.

Next to Haruhi, who, for gender-hiding reasons, wore not a swimsuit but a T-shirt and khaki capris, sat Mika, her white swim shorts covering the bottom half of her frilly, light yellow tankini. The two girls rested comfortably on the warm sand under a shady umbrella.

Ever since their first, rather painful encounter, (bumping into each in the hallway) the two had become quite good friends; after all, Mika was around the club so much she was like a member—she couldn't _actually_ be a host, of course. Haruhi enjoyed the refreshing appearance of a girl in the club's group, especially since Mika knew about her gender secret and could socialize with her as a normal female.

Happily chatting away, Haruhi began talking about her experiences with the Host Club. All the stories were fun and hilarious, filled to the brink with the Host Club's liveliness and joy. Mika could easily tell how much her brown-haired friend truly loved the club—despite not always showing it.

"I remember back when I was still the club's 'dog'," she reminisced, "I bought instant coffee for them, and every single one of them kept rambling on about how it was 'commoner's coffee,' 'incredibly cheap,' and how their 'parents would never let them drink such stuff.' They even made me prepare some as a sort of courage test for them."

"Instant coffee…?" Mika inquired.

Haruhi then remembered, _I forgot, Mika's from a wealthy family too…_

"Well, you see, instant coffee is—"

A hysterical guffaw interrupted the host's words, "Haha, you mean, HAHA, they made such a big fuss over plain old _instant coffee_?" Mika laughed uncontrollably, "What's so bad about that stuff? All you have to do is add hot water, and it tastes just fine!"

_So she knew what instant coffee was…and she's tried it before?_ Haruhi thought, rather surprised.

As the two continued talking, Haruhi found one thing increasingly odd (not bad odd, just odd odd)— Mika knew an awful lot about what Tamaki-senpai and the others called "The Commoner's World." The amethyst-orbed girl knew what Haruhi meant when she mentioned public schools, her apartment home, grocery shopping, and other "commoner"-like things. She would've thought the wealthy to be oblivious to such things. Nevertheless, it was nice having someone she could chat with about her normal life—without having to explain things every ten seconds, that is.

Just then, a sweet, girly voice chimed," Haruhi-kun, could we join you?" She and her two friends looked on hopefully.

Quickly glancing at Mika, then at the three girls, Haruhi stuttered, "Oh, yeah, um—"

"I'll go take a break and get something to drink—I'm super thirsty. You four have fun, kay?" Mika smiled, knowing she best let Haruhi do her job. As Haruhi mouthed a "thank you," Mika waved and walked off.

Mika plopped lazily down on a white beach chair set a couple feet away from where Kyoya sat typing on his laptop, as she gratefully gulped down cold juice under the hot sun.

"Kyoya-senpai, it sure was nice of you to let the whole club come to your family's private beach for free," Mika complimented.

"Hmph, for free, you say?" Kyoya replied slyly.

"Well, yeah, you even let some club customers come with…us…and you…" Mika finally understood, "and you made them pay a fee! Didn't you?" she shouted in realization.

The spectacled Ootori just smirked.

Mika sweat-dropped and murmured something about "the Shadow King" and "Haruhi was right," as she returned to her relaxing.

—With Kaoru and Hikaru—

_It's Mika…_Kaoru thought, as he gazed towards the ebony-haired girl who sat alone, resting on a beach chair._ I though she was chatting with Haruhi…_

Suddenly, a round, bouncy beach ball found itself slamming into Kaoru and his preoccupied mind, forcing him the sandy ground. Running over, Hikaru saw the chance for another forbidden-love act.

"Kaoru, pay attention! How could you possibly let that dirty ball come close to your beautiful face?" Hikaru declared in an overly protective tone, his eyes gazing deeply into his brother's as his hand gently held his brother's cheek.

On the other hand, Kaoru seemed completely oblivious to the forbidden love act Hikaru was currently trying to put on, his eyes still focused on a certain girl. "Sorry 'bout that Hikaru," he said hurriedly, "I'm just tired and stuff, I'll go take a break. See ya," and with that, Kaoru wandered off, leaving a confused Hikaru and two disappointed fan girls.

—Back to Mika—

"Ah, Mika!" a cheerful voice spoke.

Looking up, Mika saw the silhouette of a tall boy, shadowed by bright sunlight.

"Kaoru-kun! What're you doing here? I thought you were playing volleyball with Hikaru and them," Mika asked, motioning him to take a seat next to her.

"I was, but I got thirsty and decided to take a break is all," he replied, gratefully sitting down.

"Ohh," Mika nodded in understanding, "Anyhow, this beach sure is beautiful—and big, at that—isn't it?" she smiled pleasantly.

Kaoru grinned, "It is," he glanced at Mika, making eye contact with her, "Do you wanna go explore the beach together?" he suggested, hopeful.

The Asamiko paused for a moment, slightly taken aback at this sudden request, then excitedly replied, "Sure, let's go!"

An equally excited auburn-haired twin speedily grabbed Mika's wrist and dragged her off towards the beach.

—With the Others—

"Alright, my princesses! It's time for lunch!" Tamaki-senpai shouted loudly. Around a dozen giddy fan girl-customers came flocking towards Tamaki-senpai and the club members, whom had arranged for a fun, tropical, outdoor lunch event. As the girls went chattering about, the host club stopped to take a short break before eating.

"Oi, where's Kaoru and Mika?" Hikaru wondered aloud.

"I haven't seen Mika-chan and Kao-chan all day, right Takashi?" Honey-senpai inquired.

Mori-senpai grunted in agreement.

"Mika went off to take a break earlier, but I haven't seen her since, "Haruhi said, a tad concerned about her friend's whereabouts.

"Ah, Kaoru went to rest too, he seemed a bit out of it and stuff," Hikaru added, "but, anyways, where are they now?"

From his comfortable, shaded seat, Kyoya assured, "They'll be fine, no need to worry," though, instead of some comforting smile, on his face was a faint, suggestive smirk.

The remaining five just shrugged, figured Kyoya was right—as usual—and left to enjoy lunch.

Meanwhile…

"Kaoru-kun, "Mika huffed in between breaths, "just…how far…are you going to make me…run?" The winded girl fell tiredly to the beach ground.

"Ah, sorry Mika," Kaoru laughed sheepishly, " I got excited. " He reached his hand out to help the poor, tired soul back up.

"Sheeshhh, can't you be excited without running?" the blacked-tressed girl whiningly groaned, as she gladly accepted his helping hand.

After pulling her up, Kaoru was silent, his gaze fixed intently on a curious sight he saw in the near distance, "Oi, Mika, look over there, "he gestured straight ahead, "isn't that a cave or something?"

Her eyes looking towards the direction which Kaoru was pointing to, Mika too saw what seemed to be a small cave of sorts, stealthily hidden behind a collection of rocky boulders that lay right next to clear blue, tropical waters.

"Well, wadda y'know, a cave it is!" Mika chimed, impressed.

The two teenagers exchanged adventurous glances, nodded towards the cave, and smirked knowingly at one another, "Let's go, "they said simultaneously before heading towards the cave by the sea.

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><p>Well, now. I felt somewhat awkward ending it there, but should I have gone on any longer, this would've ended up being like a 2,500 word chapter. I'd prefer spacing it out instead. I'm pretty sure the next chapter will have fluff in it...I'll incorporate some into it! As you can see...I'm an awkward fangirl who does a lot of mind fluff...ehehehehe, hope you're cool with it. No worries though, I do all that mushy stuff too, I guess. :I Heeeheee.<p>

I'm so awkward.

Oh and, just as a warning, I might randomly mess around with honorifics...because I always forget who calls who what and I'm too lazy to check past chapters. I also feel weird typing "Kaoru-**kun**" when Mika talks...so I might just change it to "Kaoru." Haruhi just calls Mika, "Mika" now...they're all friendy-friendy, so, no more "Asamiko-san" and whatnot. I'm not sure if Honey-senpai calls the twins Hi-chan and Kao-chan...but that's just what I seemed to remember. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

As usual, please check for any grammar/info mistakes and tell me about them. ;D

Thanks for reading my dearies~


	8. The Hidden Cave and Burning Candles

Updated!~ The beach trip continues in this chapter-it should end next chapter though, or maybe chapter 10, who knows? Anyways, as promised, there is some fluff in this one. Emphasis on "some." Bahaha, sorry, but I really haven't gotten to the super love-love moments yet. xD Either way, I hope you guys like this chapter.

**Please R/R and Enjoy** as usual.

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><p>"What's with these big fat rocks?" mumbled a lilac-eyed beauty, whom was currently struggling to climb over a large, rough boulder. "God, it's impossible to get past these, right Kaoru?" Mika looked behind her to where Kaoru had been. "Kaoru…?" Her eyes blinked in confusion, "Where'd you go?"<p>

"Up here," rang a voice.

"What?" exclaimed a bewildered Mika," When did you get up there?"

"I was climbing, not complaining," Kaoru laughed, rather smugly.

"Pshhhh…" scoffed an embarrassed Mika. "Whatever, now help me up, kay?" she grinned widely.

The twin host exaggerated a heavy sigh and reached out to help the girl. The two now stood in front of the cave's entrance. It was almost like a beach within a beach; hidden by a border of rock. A small area of warm, untouched sand lay between boulder and cave, the ocean waves gently splashing against it. The shining sun smiled brightly upon the scene, its rays making the water glisten. A mysterious, but comforting aura of peacefulness emanated off the spectacular sight. For a moment, the two visitors could do nothing but stare at the tropical haven they had come upon.

"How beautiful, "Mika whispered, awe-struck.

"It is," replied an equal mesmerized Kaoru.

After a couple still minutes of silent admiration, the Asamiko wished to explore inside the secret cave as well. Beckoning Kaoru to follow, she instinctively took hold of his hand, pulling him along towards the cave. The Hitachiin, suddenly jerked out from his state of wonder, took a curious glance at their interlocked hands, smiled to himself, and went along into the cave.

Inside proved to be just as beautiful as out. On the cave's ceiling, which must've gone up at least fifteen feet, were randomly formed holes that let sunlight streaming in. The ground was blanketed in cool, fine grains of sand. Kaoru and Mika eagerly explored the wondrous cave, which, quite frankly, could be described as nothing less than "really super freakin' cool." Venturing deeper in, lively smiles plastered across their faces, the two didn't bother to give even a second thought to their interlaced fingers. Their own bodies were oddly used to holding hands; so much so that even their minds were comfortably unaware. Eventually the cave, which was but a long, fairly straight passageway, came to a stop. At the end rested a clear pool of ocean water, flowing gently in from a hole on the bottom of the cave's curved wall. In the middle of the circular pool lay a flat stone; atop it, two tall, ivory candles, whose flames flickered brightly atop the smooth perch—the scene appeared as a castle and it's moat.

"Candles…?" murmured a mystified Mika.

"How…weird…" An equally puzzled Kaoru just stared at the sight.

The cave appeared to have been undiscovered…yet here stood two burning candles. The candlewick was still long and nearly no wax dripped. Did that mean someone had just been here a short time ago? But Kaoru and Mika had seen no one at all; even the sand from the mini-beach outside appeared untouched until they came. Baffled the two were, paranoid they weren't. Despite the peculiarity of the situation, lilac and golden eyes showed no worry or caution—in fact, oddly enough, the area felt peaceful and warm; sweet and tranquil enough to bring relaxed smiles to their faces. It was like that Mika and Kaoru stood, hand in hand unconsciously, as the candlelight flamed.

"Hey…I'm glad we found this place, Kaoru," Mika said softly.

Nodding once, Kaoru replied, "Same here."

—With Host Club and Customers—

Haruhi sat on a cushioned white beach chair, her arms resting lazily on the matching white beach table in front of her, which she was presently sharing with three love-struck customers.

"Hey hey, Haruhi-kun," cutely chimed a chestnut-haired girl with braids. "Have you heard about the mysterious cave on this beach?"

The brown-orbed host shook her head no, taking a sip of a bright blue tropical drink of sorts.

"Eh, reallyyy?" another girl, with short brunette hair, exclaimed.

"It's such a romantic story," dreamily sighed a third, her chin propped up by two hands as her verdant eyes filled with a smitten gleam.

Her interest now piqued, the brown-eyed Fujioka beckoned the girls to continue," What's the story about?"

The fan girl trio looked amongst themselves and squealed delightedly; apparently they really loved the story.

"Well," began girl with braids," there's a legend about two lovers who met in front of a hidden cave by the sea. A beautiful young girl was wandering around the very beach some two hundred years ago, when she somehow came across a cave. It was there that she met a handsome youth, who was resting on a rock by the foaming seashore. It was love at first sight! Everyday, the two would rendezvous in the cave, gleefully talking beside two brightly lit, off-white candles. But the boy always had a delicate sorrow surrounding him, as if everything in his life were bittersweet, even his love for the girl. One day, the girl wanted to bring her love into town, hoping that maybe a change of scenery would cheer him up. But, the moment she and her beau climbed over the collection of boulders that lined the cave, he disappeared. Frantic, the girl called out his name in panic before her eyes caught sight of him. The boy sat on the very rock where they had met, looking up at the girl with a heavy sadness in his eyes. It was then that he told her the reason behind his gloom—he was dead. He was but a lonesome spirit who had died out at sea, and was unable to travel past its sandy shores. Meeting the girl had brought him happiness, but he was too scared to tell her the truth in fear that she might've abandoned him and his unearthliness. Filled with nothing but love in her heart, the girl told the boy that, no matter what, she'd always love him, and the youth, overjoyed, found the greatest peace in her company. For the rest of her life, the girl met up with the handsome boy everyday—no matter the day's weather, her age, or anything—until the day she died. After she had lived out her human life, the girl's beautiful, young spirit joined the boy inside the cave by their two burning candles, where they could be together forever!" The storyteller ended her tale with a romantic sigh.

The green-orbed girl, her eyes twinkling gaily, added," And, you know, it's said that people who find the hidden cave have good luck for the rest of their lives!"

"_And_," the brunette with a bob cut cut in excitedly," I heard that if two lovers enter the cave and see a pair of flaming candles, they're destined to be together forever, just like the boy and girl from the story!"

"KYAAAA, what if Haruhi-kun and I went to the cave?" the storytelling girl yelled in her usual fan girl-ish manner.

She, along with the other two, suddenly seemed to melt into a dream-like state, most likely thinking about how wonderful it would be to learn that they and Haruhi-kun were meant to be together forever.

Chuckling handsomely, Haruhi commented," It's so cute of you three to have such romantic dreams," a sweet smile spreading across the host's face.

Such a statement earned loud, overjoyed squeals of infatuation, no doubt.

* * *

><p>And hence, KaoruxMika's wonderful future relationship has been implied through a cheesy love story told by a fangirl. OHYES~ :D<p>

Since it's summer break right now, I get to update A LOT faster since I don't really have any work to do. (Thank goodness.) I'm not really sure how long this fanfic's going to end up being, so I can't promise I'll be able to finish it before school starts up again.

I hope you guys are looking forward to the next chapter. ;3 Any reviews I get seriously just make my day. Like, I become hysterically happy when someone tells me they like my story. **Hysterically** happy. Constructive criticism reviews are highly appreciated too. (I mean it.)

Thanksssssss~~

Edit: OHDEAR. I just realized how awkwardly short this chapter looks...It's legitimately over 1000 words, but I guess since I actually wrote a couple paragraphs instead of spaced out sentences and dialogue, the chapter appears much too short. Haha, awell.


	9. Our Special Beach Cave

New chapter!~ I'm glad that a lot of you guys seemed to be enjoying my fanfic, and even getting jealous of Mika! xD I apologize, but this chapter's rather short, so I'll try to get Chapter 10 up ASAP.

**Please R/R**~

Thanks ;3

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><p>Haruhi fumbled with the long straw in her glass cup and let out a long sigh. <em>Just where are those two?<em> Mika and Kaoru still hadn't come back, and she was beginning to get worried now that they'd been gone for over an hour. Everyone had already finished eating, and the girls all went off to play, leaving Haruhi and the Host Club to rest. Suddenly, she saw two figures walking in the distance. Kaoru and Mika nonchalantly strolled towards the lunch area where she and the host club group were, chatting and laughing happily as if they hadn't been mysteriously missing.

"Mika! Kaoru! Where have you two been?" loudly asked a surprised but relieved Haruhi.

Stopping their conversation, the two looked at Haruhi and the other beach-goers whom had noticed their sudden return. After exchanging slightly embarrassed, weak grins with Kaoru, Mika answered," Well, we were exploring…and stuff."

Kaoru laughed," Sorry, we kind of lost track of time."

The female host sighed again," Geez, you two really had me worried there…"

"Sorry 'bout that," the two sheepishly replied together.

"Mika-chan and Kao-chan came back together; we you two together the whole time?" Honey-senpai asked innocently.

An embarrassed but faint blush swept across Kaoru and Mika's faces as they stumbled awkwardly around for words.

"Nah, they probably just met on the way back here," Hikaru obliviously dismissed the topic as he lazily relaxed on a comfy beach chair.

"Ehhh, is that so?" inquired Kyoya-senpai, whom was _clearly_ implying something suspicious from his umbrella-shaded seat.

Kaoru uncomfortably cleared his throat as Mika bashfully averted her eyes.

"That makes enough sense," Tamaki-senpai agreed, unaware of Kyoya's "secret meaning".

"Anyway," Haruhi stated, "you two should hurry and eat lunch already," motioning the two to an empty table.

Grateful for Haruhi's topic change, the two auburn and ebony haired people quietly sat down at a beach table to eat a late lunch. Biting into a dainty finger sandwich, Mika peeked towards Kaoru, a restrained laugh dancing at her lips. Kaoru, returning the look, couldn't help but hold back a smile too. The exhilaration from their spontaneous beachside cave discovery was still fresh; the peaceful yet ethereal feeling of the cave a vivid, tingling memory. _We __**have**__ to go back again. Definitely!_ The two seemed to stealthily tell each other; the cave was to be a well-kept secret held only between the two of them. Tossing each a look of agreement, both chuckled heartily. Just a short walk away from them, a couple pairs of curious eyes stared on.

"Don't they kind of…" a hazelnut-tressed, swim-suit clad girl whispered," have…a _really_ good mood…going on…?"

"M-m-mhm…they do," another replied, her azure-eyes widening a bit at the realization as her raised arms stayed frozen, a beach ball between her hands. "B-but…I thought Kaoru and Hikaru were…"

"Y-yeah, me too," the other agreed.

Silent, the forbidden brotherly love fan girls stood idly, confusedly wondering about this odd Mika-Kaoru-Hikaru situation.

—0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0—

"My dear princesses!" Tamaki shouted out in his princely voice," Unfortunately, it's time for us to leave!"

All the host club beachgoers rounded up, somewhat sad they now had to leave, but still feeling cheery from the great time they had. In the background, a deep orange-red was painted across the sky as the sun began to set, slowly descending behind the glistening horizon as the ocean waves scattered its bright reflection. Kaoru, who was with Hikaru and the other hosts, caught the eye of Mika, who was chatting with some girls, and smiled slyly. This beach trip was a _little_ more than special for the two of them…

—On a School Day—

"Hey hey, Hikaru-kun, Kaoru-kun, what do you two think about this new candle fragrance?" cheerfully chirped a bright-eyed first year with ribbon-adorned pigtails. She lighted a pastel pink candle on the coffee table and, as it flamed, a sweet, flowery scent gently floated through the room. "Papa said aroma therapy is becoming very popular in the beauty business, and that candles are elegant and fragrant."

"You're right," Kaoru smiled handsomely smiled as he reached out to pour himself some tea, "aroma therap—ouch!"

The teapot fell as Kaoru's hand shot back, his finger scalded by the candle flame.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru, his twin love switched flipped on, took a sudden and protective grasp of his brother's hand. Two expectant customers stared on excitedly as Hikaru gingerly touched Kaoru's cheek when…

"Kaoru!" rang another voice. Mika stood at the Third Music Room's entrance, one hand still propped against the now open door, another holding her school bag. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly as she went over to the boy. She quickly produced a band-aid from her bag and wrapped it around Kaoru's small burn. "There!" she chimed, unaware that she had spoiled a much-awaited forbidden love act.

Hikaru and the two customers sat dumbfounded, unsure what to feel or how to react. "Thanks," grinned Kaoru, he too oddly oblivious to the ruined host act.

"No problem," Mika returned the smile. "Oh hey, candles!" she said, looking behind Kaoru at the light pink candle, "What a coincidence, eh?"

He chuckled, "Yup."

As the two started chatting away, the twin's customers were confused and let down—just when would they get to their wonderful brotherly love again? Hikaru too sat befuddled. His brother had simply ignored his forbidden love act, as if hadn't ever happened.

What about their job as hosts…?

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><p>Yup, like I said-short chapter. T^T Ironically enough, the less-than-1000-word chapter took me couple days more to write than the others, but that's because I was somewhat reluctant and indecisive over how I wanted to shape the story. I took some extra time to wonder about how I wanted to sequence the plot events and whatnot, and basically what direction I wanted the fanfic to go. So, once again, I apologize for the slow-er update and short chapter. The next few updates may be slightly slower as well-I'm still not to sure how I want to write them, and I don't want to kind of just wing it and then end up regretting my story format...know what I meant? Nevertheless, they shouldn't take more then a week per chapter.<p>

:D


	10. The Fight She Shouldn't Have Heard

Chapter 10 :D

I had some trouble with this one. To be honest, I'm still not sure if this is the direction I want the fanfic to go. Technically, I know what I want to happen-I'm just not too sure how to get there. Know what I mean?

Nevertheless, hope it's a good chapter and you enjoy it~ Plus, this one's the longest chapter yet, and I actually managed to write with legit and continuous paragraphs. lol. ;3

**Please R/R**

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><p>"Kyoya-senpaiiiiiii," rang the voices of Hikaru and Kaoru.<p>

"Yes?"

"What happened during Host Club today?"

"What do you mean?" the Shadow King asked dryly.

"We _mean_, why didn't we have any customers for those last ten or so minutes of club time?" the two questioned curiously.

"You didn't have any requests; your time slot was empty," came the calm reply.

"That's ridiculous!" Hikaru countered incredulously," Kaoru and I _always_ have a full host schedule, and a waiting list at that!"

"Apparently not," Kyoya-senpai said, unshaken. "Your customer requests have decreased 23%, your magazine edition sales fell 17%, and daily online website hits are around 10% less compared to last month.

"W-what…!" the Hitachiin twins stuttered in disbelief.

The other host club members looked up from their respective seats; Haruhi at her studying table, Mori and Honey-senpai with the cakes, and Tamaki sitting across from "Mommy". All four were awfully shocked to here about Kaoru and Hikaru losing business—it just didn't seem possible.

"That can't be, right Kyo-chan? Kao-chan and Hika-chan have always been realllyyy popular," Mitsukuni said, reluctant to believe the twin's dropping request rates.

"Ah," Mori agreed.

"Unfortunately, " stated "Kyo-chan" in a matter-of-factly way," it's a cold hard fact backed by statistical evidence."

"I-it's probably just one of those off days," Tamaki said, attempting to alleviate the situation's tenseness.

"That must be it," agreed Haruhi, who was no longer concentrating on studying," It'll probably pass over soon."

"Tch. It's all cos of Kaoru…" Hikaru scoffed out of nowhere.

Kaoru's eyes widened in surprise, "What? How is it my fault?" he rebuked.

"You're always ignoring me when we're _supposed_ to be doing host work! We haven't done a brotherly love act for over two weeks already—_that's _why our designee rates went down!" an annoyed Hikaru answered.

The other twin yelled angrily," Don't just pin the blame on me, you're part of the homo-love package too."

"Oh, but YOU'RE the one who's been completely and utterly ignoring all of my advances!"

"Since when did that _ever_ happen?"

"Hmph! What about the volleyball game at the beach? And the candle burn awhile back? Hmmm?"

"What?" Kaoru was definitely confused. "When did you ever put up a forbidden love act then?"

Hikaru groaned in frustration, "Since when did _you_ become such an air-head? What's wrong with you lately?" Met with silence from his twin, he continued fuming, "God! You've been acting all messed up and distant ever since…ever since Mika came!"

Kaoru and the other host club members were in shock; so much so that even Kyoya stopped his usual incessant keyboard typing. (A/N: I guess, for Kyoya, rather than shock, it's mostly curiosity…) Based on previous experience, the host members would've thought the twin's fighting to just be a staged act, as it was with Haruhi before. But now, seeing that this argument was sparked by a serious, worrisome issue, the quarreling seemed more real than ever—this wasn't an act…was it?

Breaking out from his bewildered state, Kaoru defiantly questioned, "You, what are you trying to imply?" His eyes narrowed with a suspicious glare as he felt his temper snap. Just what was Hikaru trying to do by bringing Mika into the fight? The other twin simply averted his eyes, unable—or rather unwilling—to answer. Such a reaction wasn't at all satisfactory. "I said, what are you trying to imply?" Kaoru made sure to enunciate each and every syllable with a fiercely clear tone.

Hikaru felt a stubborn rage bubbling within him; why was he letting his brother get mad at him, when he himself was the one who should be angry? Hikaru easily let his anger get the best of him, and viciously lashed out," Ever since Mika showed up, you've been ignoring me more and more! Now you're even starting to ignore you host job! It's getting harder and harder for me to figure what you're thinking…even though we're twins…and we've always been together." His raging tone slowed for a moment and took on a sorrowful tone before switching back. "It's annoying and frustrating and I hate it! What's so interesting about Mika anyways? Why are you…" Hikaru bit his lip, balling his hands into fists so tight his knuckles turned white. All were taken aback by this sudden and emotional outburst.

"H-hikaru…" Kaoru whispered in an almost breathless, wistful voice, "I-I-I'm sorry…"

Hikaru almost blushed, slightly regretting his impulsive rant, his hands relaxed and he uncomfortably shifted his feet, "A-ahh…same here…"

—o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o—

Mika warily drew her hand back away from the Third Music Room's elegantly carved golden door handle, her hand clenching into a fist. Her long, silky black hair fell, covering her drooped head. If one were to peek at her face, they'd see a pair of eyelids closed shut, deeply furrowed brows, and a long frown. Mika's other hand forcefully gripped and tugged at the side of her dress, a notebook resting under her arm. The many shocking words she'd heard being shot back and forth by those who stood behind the door raced through her mind; though, of course, there were a few sentences that stood out a bit more than others…

Feeling tense and rather disoriented upon realizing the heavy implications of this conversation she was not meant to hear, Mika then felt her heart sink and eyes water. Why was it that she was always the one to make that first dangerous crack in the relationships of those she cared for? Why was it that, every time she tried to be happy, every time she searched for love, things would slowly fall apart right in front of her? Mika quickly batted her eyelids, trying not to cry, when one rebellious tear streamed down her cheek, betraying her.

Her body loosened submissively and hopelessly, both arms hanging lifelessly by her side. Slowly, she brought the notebook in her hand, and, pressing it tightly to her chest with both arms, shifted her feet away from the door and took one, small step. Stopping for a moment to wipe away that one, long tear, something clicked in Mika's mind. What in the world was she doing—being so melodramatic and exaggeratory like that? Sure she was definitely scared of seeing relationships crumble whilst she stood at fault—especially the ones of her friends—but she was no weakling; she shouldn't let herself get depressed over something like that. Besides, Mika reasoned, the two twins were angry, and people say harsh things when they're angry, whether they meant it or not—that was something she knew _very_ well. They were her friends, she should know better than to think so shallowly of them. Mika took a long and deep breath, smiled reassuringly to herself, and spun her heels back around towards the Third Music Room's door.

Mika gradually brought her slender fingers upon the shinily lacquered doorknob. Hearing that the twin's had ceased their fighting, and that the entire host club was silent, she figured that this was the best time to go in—"best" in the sense that, uncomfortable as it may be, now was the least awkward time of them all to go. With one more deep inhale, she pressed down on the handle and bravely pushed open the pink-shaded door.

"Hey! ~~~" she announced in a cheerful tone, careful to hide any remaining doubts or troubles the twin's fight might've brought her.

The Host Club, who were all currently still and silent, all heard a loud and happy voice unexpectedly break through the atmosphere's awkward tenseness.

"M-m-mika…"Kaoru whispered under his breath, his eyes filling with a look of gloom.

"Mika!" Haruhi exclaimed, astonished. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Haruhi~," smiled Mika," I just dropped by to give Hikaru his notebook, "she held up a navy blue composition book, "he left it in his last class."

Kyoya closed his eyes for a moment, took what seemed like a light sigh, and returned to his computer work. Tamaki quietly cleared his throat, still trying to digest the contents of the twin's fight. Mori-senpai turned his attention back to the cake-eating Honey, whose usual adorable gluttony was missing as he picked at his cake's whipped cream decoration.

"O-oh…erm. T-thanks Mika," Hikaru sputtered nervously as he took the notebook from Mika's hand. He couldn't help but feel like a total idiot, standing here taking the notebook he had accidentally forgotten from this kind girl who had taken the trouble to return it to him…the same girl he had inadvertently—but still cruelly and wrongfully— bad-mouthed just moments ago in a spur-of-the-moment feud.

"No problem," Mika responded, grinning.

Kaoru braced himself, "Hey, Mika…"

"Yeah?"

"Did…did you hear us just now…when we…"

Mika furrowed her brow in confusion, "Did I hear you when you what?" she feigned innocence. Of _course_ she had heard, Mika thought to herself.

"Oh" Kaoru replied, secretly relieved, "nothing."

"Alright then, I, I'll, I'll just go then. My next class is starting soon." Mika forced an awkward smile.

"Ah, oh. Okay, bye" was all Kaoru could manage to say.

—o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o—

A huge sigh escaped Mika's lips the moment she felt the Third Music Room's door close shut behind her. She was okay, she repeatedly told herself. _Kaoru and Hikaru and them obviously looked worried about whether or not I heard. Since they're concerned about what I think, they're definitely sorry and regretful. It's all right. I'm okay._ Yet, despite the convincing words she told herself, she simply couldn't shake off that nagging feeling of hurt caused from Hikaru's words. Since Hikaru had even the thought to bring her up as a distraction to Kaoru…it must have some truth behind it. Hikaru wouldn't have ever thought to just randomly use her as an excuse. The idea that there was truth behind her been titled as a distraction and the indirect cause of the twin's fight weighed heavily upon Mika, whether she truly knew it or not.

* * *

><p>D: The twin's fought-for real. This part troubled me a bit whilst I was writing it. Does the fighting feel natural? Does it seem reasonable? I'm really not too sure. I figured since Kaoru is crushin' on Mika, it'd only make sense that he get angry when she was insulted, even if it was Hikaru doing the insulting during a sibling fight.<strong> I seriously need some feedback on this part!<strong>

The feedback request also goes for the overall direction of the story. I know there really isn't any fluff or anything in this chapter, but this is what I meant by an "actual plotline besides KaoruxMika." (Is what I said in the beginning of this fanfic)

Some parts of the story may not really make sense yet, or may seem as if they don't fit, but trust me, they'll make sense later. :)

Truthfully speaking, I was kind of losing motivation when I wrote this...about halfway through I hit a mini writer's block. But alas, my mindset is hilariously simplistic, so all i needed was a positive review and BAM, I wrote like half this chapter in less than 2 or so hours. Yeah, I really just can't thank you reviews and readers enough. xD


	11. One Week

Hello! I finally got around to picking this story up again; it's been about nine months since my last update, I'm so very sorry! It's summer again, so I'm hoping I can get this story going again and finally get the real plot-line. This chapter's a tad short, but I promise there'll be more coming. (:

Thanks for reading!

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><p>It had been a week since Hikaru and Kaoru fought…and since Mika last entered the Third Music Room.<p>

Throughout the week she tried to convince her mind that nothing was wrong, and that she ought meet with the Host Club as usual, but each day, when club time came, she lamely came up with some random excuse, and told herself that she'd just go tomorrow. But it's not like she could avoid the club members altogether—she did have class with Haruhi and the twins. However, every time they'd tried to engage in a conversation with her, she casually pretended to be busy and preoccupied. She ran away to the gardens during lunch, walked quickly through the halls, and avoided possible "host club" locations whenever possible. That was how she had spent her week, and at the end of each day she harshly reprimanded her brain and her heart for being so foolish and weak.

Currently it was the seventh day of her avoidance streak; Mika sat alone and disheartened on a bench in one of the school's many gardens, quietly waiting for lunch to end. Across a couple rose bushes, maybe some eight or nine feet away, two girls sat on another bench, eating lunch and loudly chattering away. Mika wanted peace and quiet right now, so she gathered her things and was about to walk away when she heard one of the girls mention Kaoru's name.

"But I thought Kaoru-kun and Hikaru-kun were inseparable!" exclaimed one of the girls. Her jet-black hair was tied up high in a neat bun, contrasting with the befuddled expression on her face.

"Apparently not," her coffee-haired companion began to explain, "they haven't shown any 'brotherly love' in two whole days!"

"What? No brotherly love? Oh, Ayumi-chan, what are we going to do without their love-love scenes?" her fan-girl friend replied, devastated.

Mika stood still by the bench as she listened to their conversation. "Brotherly love" scenes weren't really supposed to happen at all, so a two-day absence shouldn't be a big deal—but—this was Hikaru and Kaoru they were talking about, so something was definitely wrong. Mika shifted uncomfortably and scowled as she heard the conversation take a…familiar turn.

"I heard their slump is because of a girl…" the black-tressed girl whispered cautiously.

Her friend's eyes glistened with curiosity, "No way! Spill!"

"Well, " Ayumi began, "I heard that ever since that beach trip a while back, Kaoru has gotten really close with that transfer student, "she paused for a moment to think, "Asami…Mika, I think it was. There're even rumors that they're going out!"

The brown-haired girl gasped, "No! B-but I can't bear to even _think_ of the twins being apart!"

She decided she'd heard enough. Mika spun her heels around and dashed out the garden to the outside corridor area. After a minute or two of walking, she slumped against a marble column and sighed heavily. What trouble she was causing for Kaoru and his brother!

Just then, the lunch bell chimed. Mika heaved another sigh, stood up straight, smoothened her dress, and hurried to her next class.

Behind a fountain near the rose bushes where Mika and the two girls had been, a tall, slim silhouette stepped out. A young man with hair the color of milk caramel stared in the direction Mika had gone, his emerald eyes glistened in the sun, but were heavy with worry and concern. He had heard the girls' conversation, and seen how pained Mika looked—she hadn't even remembered too take her empty bento box back. (A/N: Yes, she has a bento, not those fancy lunches—it suits her better.) The man ran his slightly tanned and slender fingers through his hair, grabbed Mika's bento box, and started towards the school's main building.

When the young man entered the school building, he was met with several stares and squeals from the female population. He was, indeed, quite the looker. Without even throwing them a glance, the light browned haired young man went up an ornate staircase and to the headmaster's office. Knocking twice, he was beckoned in, where he proceeded to ask,

"Where can I find Asami Mika?"

The headmaster recognized the green-eyed person immediately, and speedily replied, "Mr. Rosenthal, Asami-san might be in the Third Music Room, that's where her school guides usually are."

"Alright, my thanks," said man replied nonchalantly, "Pardon me then."

"It is my pleasure Mr. Rosenthal, do tell me if you need anything else, "the headmaster added respectfully.

"Mr. Rosenthal" quickly headed towards the Third Music Room after getting directions from a student. He gently pushed open the ornate pink doors and was met with the usual swirl of red rose petals.

"What, it's just a guy," Hikaru pouted. Curiously enough, Kaoru wasn't there to pout with his brother, he sat alone at a nearby tea table

"Is Mika here?" the visitor questioned.

Kaoru didn't spare the man a glance, but his eyes narrowed. The other host club members, alarmed to hear Mika's name, turned their eyes toward the speaker.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Rosenthal, Asami-san is not here at the moment," Kyoya said in his usual monotone, save the slight emphasis he had put on the "Asa**mi.**"

"Oh, is that so, well—" Mr. Rosenthal was suddenly interrupted by a very confused voice.

"Shin?"

All eight people in the room looked in the direction of the voice; they were met with a pair of gleaming lilac eyes.

Mika.

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><p><strong>ReadReview please**, I'd really like some feedback since I just picked the story up again. It's been a while since I've obsessed over OHSHC, so I fear I might be a bit out of touch with the character personalities and such...it's also been a while since I've read my own fanfic, so please tell me if I've missed anything or messed something up.


	12. Friends Again, Plus Shin?

Here's the next chapter! It's pretty exciting for me to write and update since the plot line's finally starting to pickup! Unfortunately, though this is a long one, there isn't too much KaoruxMika action in this chapter, but hey, I guess that's where the "friendship" genre comes in, right? Bear with me, the good stuff's coming! (:

* * *

><p><em>Enough. <em>Mika firmly thought. She would go to the host club right now. It'd had already been a week, and she had given absolutely no reason for her absence. They didn't know she heard Kaoru and Hikaru's fight, and it was plain rude of her to continuously ignore and avoid them. Mika straightened her posture, took a deep breath, braced her heart, and walked straight towards the Third Music Room. Her fingers wrapped cautiously around the gold-lacquered door handle, but she kept her determination strong—she wasn't going to back out now, not again—so she pushed open the door.

Her eyes were met with the sight of light hazelnut hair and the oh-so familiar frame and posture of a certain young man.

"Shin?" she exclaimed immediately, by reflex. For a second, she'd forgotten about her original purpose and the host club, but she was suddenly broken from a trance as she saw eight pairs of surprised eyes staring straight at her.

The momentary silence was broken by Shin's voice, "Mika!" He strode over swiftly but elegantly and pulled Mika into a tight embrace. Mika paused for a second, a bit shocked and confused, then returned the hug.

Kaoru propped his chin on his hand, looked away, and scowled to himself.

"Mika," Haruhi said in an unsure tone, "you're back…"

Mika broke away from the hug and glanced at Haruhi, only to turn her eyes away in embarrassment and a bit of shame.

"Y-yeah…I'm back…" she almost whispered.

"Mika-channnnnn!" Honey-senpai blissfully shouted, "Welcome back!" and lightened the tense mood.

A relieved sigh came from the amethyst-eyed lady as she gave Honey-senpai a brief hug and small smile. She was about to bravely face the other club members—all of whom appeared far more reluctant and suspicious—when Shin called her from behind,

"Oi, Mika."

She turned around and faced Shin. He jerked his head in the door's direction, his eyes asking her to follow him. Mika gave a slight nod and spared the awaiting host club a glimpse, opened her mouth, failed to find the right words to say, and dashed out with Shin.

—o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o—

The moment Mika and he stepped out of the Third Music Room, Shin rather roughly grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the end of the halfway; Mika already knew what he was going to say.

"What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" she retorted.

"Mika."

"I'm…just going to school."

"You _know_ what I mean…" there was tinge of anger in his voice.

She left out an exasperated sigh, "Shin, come on…"

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here." He enunciated threateningly.

Mika closed her eyes and let her shoulders slump, "I like it here…"

Now Shin sighed, "You like it here? Don't you have any idea what being 'here' means? Mika, have you gone mad?" His voice grew increasingly frustrated, "Why are you giving _him_ what he wants?"

The moment she heard "him" Mika's eyes opened wide and she breathed in sharply, "This is _not_ for him. _This_ is for _me_," she stressed.

"Mika, please, why are you here?"

"I already told you, I like it here…I have friends."

"Friends?" Shin's eyes narrowed, "Well your 'friends' sure haven't done much about the gossip that's been going around."

Her brow furrowed, "You heard…" he nodded. "But it's not their fault! They don't know," she continued, "besides…it's my fault we haven't been talking…" her mouth fell into a deep frown as her eyes turned to the ground.

Shin sighed yet again, surrendering his anger and letting her have her way. "Look, I know you can take care of yourself…but please Mika, please, understand your position and don't get yourself hurt again…okay?"

Mika grinned reassuringly, "I know Shin, I know..."

Smiling back, he pushed Mika's bento box into her arms, "Here, you forgot this…I'll see you around." He gave her a casual salute and then went off.

"Thanks," she mouthed, hugging the bento box in her arms. _I'm not here for him. _She chanted in her head._ I'm here for me. For my friends._ With that, Mika strode back down the halls and to the Third Music Room.

—o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o—

After Mika and this "Mr. Rosenthal" left, the host club sunk into seconds of pure silence.

Kyoya was the first to break the soundlessness, "Interesting, " he stated, pushing his glinting glasses up.

"That…you didn't mean…_the _Rosenthal family…did you? "Hikaru stammered.

Kyoya smirked.

"Mika-chan sure is amazing, "Honey-senpai chimed, "she's friends with the Rosenthal heir!"

Meanwhile, Kaoru was having an inner shock session. Nevermind the Rosenthal part, what was that boy doing here, and what is he to Mika?

After a couple minutes had passed, Mika slowly pushed open the room's ornate pink doors. She darted her eyes back and forth between all the host members, whom were all gathered in the center of the room, and stammered apprehensively, "Uh, well…." She began, "Sorry!" she shouted and bowed quickly.

As she straightened back up, she was met with Haruhi's coffee brown stare, "Hey, Mika, can't you tell us what was wrong?" she seemed to half-plead.

"Did Usa-chan and I do something wrong," Honey-senpai pouted.

"No, Honey-senpai, "Mika smiled gently, "you and Usa-chan didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why did you avoid us for an entire week," rather than asking a question, Hikaru sounded more like he was blatantly stating a hard, cold fact.

All the host members turned to look at Mika; Kyoya ceased his incessant typing, Honey-senpai left his cakes, and the slightly annoyed Kaoru (because of Shin) was peeking from the hand that he rested his cheek against. The air felt incredibly tense, and Mika realized there really was no escape. _I'll just tell them and get this over with…_she winced mentally; unable to imagine just how they would react.

"I heard it…" she murmured cryptically.

"Heard what…?" Haruhi questioned.

"The fight, " lilac-eyes clarified, "their fight…" she looked at Hikaru and Kaoru, whom were both on the left.

Immediately, the twin's eyes widened, Hikaru's mouth hung slightly agape, and Kaoru shot up from his chair. With their eyes, they seemed to ask Mika, _You mean….__**that**__ fight…?_ Solemnly, she nodded her head. Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, Mika stared aimlessly at the floor and began counting the tiles, just to distract herself.

Silence visited the room once again.

"I-I'm sorry…" Mika finally stuttered.

"No, I'm sorry!" Hikaru spat out reflexively, guilt clearly evident in his voice.

"It's alright…I should've known better," the Asamiko daughter explained, "I know you guys would never say those things on purpose, I should've just explained myself to all of you in the first place, not avoid you," she gave a slightly sad smile.

Hikaru, his heart once again shot with a twinge of guilty regret, responded, "I, it…it was my fault, I got carried away…" he looked a little embarrassed, "I didn't mean it, _at all_, I swear."

The other host club members smiled to themselves, relieved to see Mika back and the problem being resolved calmly and kindly. "I'm sorry too, Mika, "Kaoru added, he pushed back that previous pang of annoyance (or rather jealously?), knowing that he was happy enough just seeing Mika back again.

Honey-senpai, apparently just caught up in the moment, sprang towards Mika, bear-hugged her as tightly as he could, and yelled a dramatic, "I'm sorry too, Mika-chan!"

"Honey-senpai…" Mika laughed, "you didn't do anything wrong, remember?"

"I'm still sorry!" Honey-senpai replied cutely.

Her lips curving up in a pearly-white grin, Mika chimed, "Yes, yes Honey-senpai, I understand," and was returned with an equally large smile from said senpai.

By now, crowds of wealthy girls began streaming into the Third Music Room, eager to meet with the beloved Ouran High School Host Club—it was business time. As all the hosts were led away by their designees, Kaoru was able to fall back and find time for a quick talk with Mika.

"Welcome back," he stated sweetly, a look of sympathy and cheerfulness in his eyes.

"Good to be back," the amethyst-eyed lady grinned back. Mika felt light as a feather—she'd explained herself clearly, made up with her irreplaceable host club friends, and got to talk to Kaoru again…she blushed unnoticeably. She was so overjoyed to have such burdens lifted that she forgot about the many rumors circulating amongst Ouran's female population—rumors that threatened the Hitachiin twins' flawless host reputations.

—o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o—

"I can't believe it!"

"Now, now, calm down already."

"No! Can you believe this? She's crazy…"

"You and I both know she can very well take care of herself. Besides, I think she has a good point—clearly she found worthy friends."

Shin glared exasperatedly at his brother, "You don't understand Reo! Don't you remember what _he_ did to her?"

Reo heaved a long sigh, and answered nonchalantly, "Yes, I know _exactly_ what _he_ did…but Mika's strong and she's taken it immensely well; why is it that _you_ can't? Let her be, Shin."

Reo Rosenthal ( A/N: I guess, technically, "Rosenthal Reo," but that sounds weird) was a tall, strong-but-slender man in his early twenties. With hair the color of caramel—a bit darker than his brother's milk caramel locks—and a pair of mesmerizing silver-flecked blue-gray eyes, his dashing looks easily matched, or perhaps surpassed, that of his little brother. His features were far more matured than Shin's, with a slimmer face and sharper eyes. Reo sat on a long, contemporary styled white couch, across from his brother, who was seated on a sturdy, cushioned glass chair and had frustration written all over his face.

"We can't let her get hurt like that again," Shin retorted.

The other Rosenthal son acknowledged, "That's true, but give Mika a chance to figure things out by herself. She did it once, she can do it again."

"That's exactly why we should help her!" Shin almost shouted, "He's already made Mika give up so much, and now she's willingly playing right into his hand!"

"Shin…"

* * *

><p>I really need advice on how you guys think this story's working out! The Mika-host club making up part was slightly awkward and hard to write...so I apologize if the conversation seems choppy or unnatural, I can work on it if you guys tell me what's off.<p>

As usual, **Please R/R.**

Thanks C:


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